LVMH Watch Week: The New Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription is an Absolute Stunner!
Daniel Roth is bringing the 1990s back with a new ultra-thin, undeniably elegant dress watch.
We can safely say that the new Extra Plat Souscription from Daniel Roth was one of the standouts of LVMH Watch Week, which shouldn’t be a surprise since its predecessor, the Tourbillon Souscription, took the top prize in the GPHG “Tourbillon” category last year.
What is delightful about this follow-up is how quickly it came about and how completely and perfectly opposite to a super complication this time-only piece is. In fact, the secret of the Extra Plat Souscription’s success seems to lie in the Daniel Roth team’s dedication to the legendary watchmaker’s original designs.
It turns out that a lot of thought goes into producing such a simple piece, so let’s check it out.
Tick Talk
The Extra Plat is a gorgeous watch; that much is obvious to anyone with eyes. Still, we will talk about its mechanics first, mainly because Roth is regarded as one of the great watchmaking geniuses of the twentieth century.
In 1988, he left his cushy job at Breguet to start his own brand (a practically unheard-of career choice at that time) and immediately burst out of the gate with a model combining what would become two of his signatures: a tourbillon complication and a unique double-ellipse case shape. Later that same year, he took his first “souscription” order – 25 pieces for Asprey of London.
Roth is now retired, and the brand is now under the stewardship of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, but these decisions made by Roth during the infancy of his eponymous brand proved to be the pillars of Roth’s enduring success.
As the second model of the modern Roth era, the Souscription series was created under the supervision of two other watchmaking legends – Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. And with the Extra Plat, they have taken big but respectful swings.
Yes, it only has two hands, but the team has treated the movement with as much reverence as a tourbillion. The highlights of the DR002 calibre include a free-sprung 4 Hz balance wheel made up of four arms, each with a variable inertia weight for regulation – which promises superior and stable timekeeping over prolonged periods. Meanwhile, a large mainspring provides a 65-hour power reserve.
And the DR002 holds an additional easter egg: the sound the watch makes when you wind it or set the time is so extremely satisfying. It’s incredibly tactile and sounds great, too!
Case Study
Since Roth was a watchmaker and not a designer, he built his watches from the inside out. Lucky for us, his movements are so beautiful that the outer workings reflect this.
Like its predecessor, the Extra Plat takes the shape of the OG Roth’s double ellipse form. It is, however, thinner than the Tourbillon Souscription, thanks to its 3.1mm-thick movement. In fact, the entire piece is only 7.7mm thick.
A few other subtle changes also contribute to the overall feeling of refinement. Daniel Roth has preserved the double ellipse shape of the 35.5mm wide and 38.6mm long 18k yellow gold case but added a perfectly centered godron around the perimeter to enhance the profile. The lugs have been gently rounded and arched downwards for superior ergonomics.
The brand’s commitment to promoting traditional hand-crafted mechanisms also extends to finishes, with the dial of the Extra Plat Souscription decorated with a clou de Paris guilloche. Another nice nod to the dress watches of the 1990s is its supple calfskin leather strap.
Finally, even though the calibre is glorious, in what the brand is calling an “act of discretion” and “a tribute to the past,” the case has a solid back.
Pricing & Availability
The Extra Plat Souscription is a limited edition of 20 pieces and is priced at CHF 45,000. It will eventually be followed by a non-souscription Extra Plat model that will join the catalog. To learn more, check out the Daniel Roth website.